Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Intervals on the Icy Prom

Yesterday was my first planned interval session: 10 - 20 minute warmup, 4 x 3 mins around 7:35 ish and 10 minute cool down. I will always tend to go for the longer warmup now, particularly when it was as cold as yesterday.

A beautfiul day but very cold and lots and lots of ice around St Annes. I took it very easy on the warmup run to the pier. I had to keep finding dry patches or places where the sun had been to run properly, the rest was slippy and icy.

My left calf felt very tight and my legs weary in general so I decided to do the last little jog along the beach under the pier. Going over the dunes onto the beach I though the sand felt a little crusty and there were lots of what looked like little wet patches on the beach itself. When I looked at them closely and stuck my finger on one it was actually frozen, ice on the beach who'd have thunk it!

I ran to the pier and the normally very soft slow going sand that collects around it was firm and very crunchy, it was in the shadow of the pier so no sun had gotten to it.

I popped up onto the prom and set off on the first interval. I set off a bit too fast (I noticed when I bothered to look at the Garmin) and tried to get a feel for running around 7:35 to 7:40. I found it was hard but doable, probably the exact pace I should be doing intervals at all along (thinks to self that writers of training plan may know what they are talking about).

The next two intervals were a little more interesting and a touch slower as I had to dance around the ice quite a few times. I was finding breathing the cold dry air in quite tough on my throat too, what wind there was I was actually running into. The last interval was pretty much the same as the first and I could have done another one.

The jog back to work consisted of much more ice dodging but my legs felt quite perked up by then. I was really surprised to find that there was no one on the golf course as I went through - such a beautiful day. Maybe they are not allowed to play when the ground is frozen ?

Back to my lurgy filled office where I felt like I had the beginnings of a sore throat (hypochondria again).

I'm having a rest day today, though my legs feel ok and my throat feel a little rough but I think it is from the cold air. The skin on one side of my face was really sore last night as well, I had to get the Nivea grease paint on it. Feels ok this morning though.